Sunday, December 14, 2014

To mark a tribute to the martyrs of Indian Army who laid down their lives to safeguard ‪#‎Fazilka‬ for their supreme sacrifice in 1971 Indo-Pak war on the eve of 43rd Vijay Diwas celebration, join us for "Victory March" on 15th March 2014 starting from Sanjeev Cinema Chowk at 3:00PM sharp. All are requested to assemble at Sanjeev Cinema chowk.

First time in this history families of our all brave soldiers who fought famous 'battle of Fazilka', brought honour to the nation and laid down their lives to safeguard Fazilka during Indo Pak war, are reaching Fazilka and are joining us on this 'Victory March' along with the brave soldiers of Indian Army.

Wife of Major Narayan Singh wife Urmila is also joining us.She was 22 when she lost her husband. Those who are not aware, famous battle of Fazilka or battle of beriwala was held between two Majors; Major Narayan Singh (Indian Army 4 Jat) and Major Shabbir Sharif (Pak Army and elder brother of present Pakistan Army Chief Raheel Sharif) 'man-to-man' combat. It was a very brave and courageous battle between the two. Major Narain Singh, who was commanding a company of Jat Regiment led his men and charged the objective to capture locality in the Fazilka Sector. In this action, Major Narain Singh displayed gallantry, leadership and determination of high order and awarded with Vir Chakra award.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

FAZILKA: In a clear case of ignorance and insensitivity of Punjab government, Teja Ruhela - a small village situated close to the Pakistan border - infamous for children being with deformities like cerebral palsy, visual and hearing impairment, among others does not have a single healthcare facility. This, too, after a staggering number of 36 children are suffering from this problem.

Ironically, the village - with a total population of 3,000 - falling under Fazilka assembly constituency is represented by Punjab health minister Surjit Kumar Jayani. The residents allege that no doctors visit their village and there is no dispensary or primary healthcare facility.

Presence of heavy metals like lead, cadmium, arsenic and uranium in groundwater is the likely reason behind large number of deformities among children.

"With 36 children in severe deformed category, Teja Ruhela has 12 children per 1,000 persons suffering from deformities whereas the international average is 3-4. No extensive survey has been carried to the know ratio of deformities," said Pritpal Singh, who is the president of Baba Farid centre of special children, which is working on deformities among children and its causes.

Meanwhile, health minister Jayani claimed that the problem had diminished after reverse osmosis (RO) plant was installed in the village around three years ago. However, activists differ.

"Though drinking water has improved to some extent after RO plant was installed, toxic effects of water are still there in the local environment due to which the problem of deformities is still grave in the village," said Pritpal.

He added: "It is a case of multi-toxicity as untreated water from Ludhiana and Jalandhar industries passes through a drain which proved disastrous for the area, apart from excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides. Only purification of drinking water is not enough, but effects of multi-toxicity need to be minimized, which is also proving harmful for animals and increasing infertility and impotency among young people."

Members of social outfits working in the area are also critical of the government's lackadaisical approach to tackle the issue.

Baljinder Singh, secretary Border Vikas Front & Shakti and general secretary Border Area Struggle Committee, said: "Governments never bothered to take care of the village where many children have deformities. No medical facility is available in the village and people have to travel long distance for treatment of such children."

Teja Ruhela sarpanch Des Singh is also critical of the state government. "We have taken up the issue of dealing with deformities among children with the previous and current government, but we're not getting the medical facilities as the village is situated close to the border. Further, there is no financial assistance for taking care of children suffering from deformities."

Fazilka, a sleepy border town in Punjab, is filled with excitement as this grateful town gears up to extend a befitting honour to the ‘Saviours of Fazilka’ – Soldier of Indian Army who made supreme sacrifice during Indo – Pak War of 1971 to save the town from falling into Pakistani hands. On the 43rd Anniversary of this historic event, one week long ‘Fazilka Vijay Diwas’, a tribute to the martyrs who laid down their lives to safeguard the town is being co-hosted by Chetak Corps/Amogh Division and the ‘Saheedon ki Samadhi’ trust, an honorary civilian body of prominent residents residents of Fazilka.

Week long event will include multiple events organized by Indian Army and Citizen Forum of Fazilka to pay gratitude to martyrs and sensitise the youth about the symbiotic relationship between Army and Local Community in this border town. Presentations on Battle of Beriwala and Battlefield Tours are being organized by Army for college/school children to sensitise the young generation about sacrifices made by Indian Army.

On 15 Dec, a first of its kind event in India, a grand ‘Victory Parade’ through the heart of the town will be organized by Citizens and Army to mark the solidarity and close bond between the two and reaffirm the resolve that together they will safeguard the motherland from any misadventure by our adversary. Entire town is expected to converge at historic Clock Tower for this grand event. A Light and Sound Show is also being organized by Indian Army on 15 Dec to bring alive the battlefield of 1971 operations in Fazilka Sector. This will be open to all residents of Fazilka Town.

The grand culmination of ‘Fazilka Vijay Diwas’ events will take place at ‘Asafwala War Memorial’ which is a unique monument revered as a Temple and Shrine by local community. Events will include National Unity Marathon run with expected participation by more than 1,000 runners from across Punjab, Wreath Laying at War Memorial by Senior Army and State functionaries, cultural programme and Bhandara. Entire town will be witness to this ‘Saheedon ka Mela’ at War Memorial and pay homage to martyrs.

Event will be graced by large number of Veteran officers and Soldiers of Indian Army. Mrs Urmila Patyal, w/o Late Maj Narayan Singh of 4 JAT and Mrs Santosh Rana, w/o Maj K S Rana of 15 RAJPUT, who were martyred while saving Fazilka will be the guests of honour on the occasion.

The main function related to Fazilka Vijay Diwas will spread over one week as under:-(a) Presentations in Schools on Battle of Beriwala. (10 - 14 Dec)(b) Battle field tour for local youth (13 - 14 Dec)(c) Victory Parade through Fazilka Town. - 15 Dec(d) Light and Sound Show - 15 Dec(e) Events at Asafwala War Memorial - 16 Dec

Sunday, December 7, 2014

GURGAON: The Punjab and Haryana high court has asked the MCG to consider building public conveniences across the city to display advertisements in a hearing on outdoor advertisements on Friday.

Advertisement agencies had sought adequate compensation from the MCG for pulling down their outdoor ads. The hearing was attended by the new MCG commissioner, Vikas Gupta. In the last hearing, the high court had asked the MCG to remove all unipole advertisements displayed along the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway and LED advertisements displayed on top of building No. 8 in Cyber City and a building wrap advertisement on a building at IFFCO Chowk as all of them were causing distraction to motorists.

According to sources, when the advertisement agencies sought adequate compensation from the MCG, the court asked the civic body to consider constructing public conveniences across the city on which these advertisements can be displayed.

"The high court has asked us to find out the spots where such public conveniences can be constructed at strategic locations so that these advertisement agencies whose ads have been pulled down since the last court hearing. We will draw up a plan in the coming days and submit the locations to the high court which will then approve these sites and we will construct these toilets," said an official.

A few months ago, the high court had appointed a traffic expert, Navdeep Asija, to give a report about the traffic hazard posed by the existing advertisement hoardings put up by the MCG. Subsequently, the expert informed the court that most of the ads were a distraction to drivers on the road and based on his report the high court ordered the MCG to remove those ads at once. Last week the enforcement team of the MCG removed these ads.

CHANDIGARH: It is difficult to find your way around in Gurgaon with signboards either missing or giving confusing information, besides being installed at wrong places in violation of norms. This has been pointed out in a preliminary report of 'Gurgaon Outdoor Advertisement and Signage Study' conducted on directions of the Punjab and Haryana high court, which was submitted in the court on Friday.

"In general, Gurgaon has more advertisement panels than normal road information signages. For an unknown user, it is almost difficult to travel in Gurgaon due to non-availability of any driving aid in the form of signage," it reads.

"Placement of advertisement hoardings clearly violates the normal policy terms and can be serious road safety threat to road users. Most of the footpaths and sideways are encroached by wrongly placed signage and unauthorised hoardings, which is restricting free and safe movement of pedestrians," adds the report.

The survey was conducted by traffic researcher Navdeep Asija and Anvita Arora on the directions of the court. It has been pointed out that there is no local support from Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) or municipal corporation, Gurgaon (MCG). For instance, advertisement on red lights pose safety hazard and there are wide intersections with no information signs but advertisement boards. At many places, signboards have been placed in the middle of footpaths, obstructing passage.

Because of non-cooperation of local bodies, the exact count of missing signages could not be arrived at as the survey could not be matched with locations that have been identified for putting up of boards on paper, reads the report.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

The Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) has removed several hoardings and wall wraps from buildings near NH-8.

The drive, which started on Monday, comes after the Punjab and Haryana High Court on November 21 passed an order, directing that all advertisements and hoardings — excluding those put up at 77 sites approved by the court-appointed road safety expert — must be removed.

The order was passed to ensure road safety, especially along the expressway. Navdeep Asija, the road safety expert, has suggested removing more unipoles and wall wraps, displaying advertisements.

Wall wraps on buildings, including ABW Tower and Signature Tower, were pulled down on Monday.

"We have removed several hoardings, unipoles, wall wraps and billboards from buildings along the DelhiGurgaon expressway in our day-long operation. The drive will continue till we complete the exercise as directed by the High Court. We have to submit an action-taken report soon," said MCG's chief engineer RK Singla on Monday.

According to MCG officials, wall wraps on around five buildings along the highway and 10 unipoles, displaying advertisements, may be removed soon. The unipoles are located in new Gurgaon areas. Of these, five are located near the Huda City Centre Metro station.

A day after the HC passed this interim order, the MCG had pulled down 15 unipoles along NH-8.

"The Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon having accepted the sites identified is permitted to invite tenders subject, however, to the removal of all other illegal hoardings, signages and glow signs, etc," the court order stated.

According to a report submitted by Asija, only 77 of the proposed 200 sites in the city have been approved for advertisements.

The report suggests that advertisements put up on or around NH-8 should be removed immediately in view of the safety of commuters on the high-speed stretch.

"The placement of these advertisements creates obstruction and distracts drivers, especially on fast-moving stretches like highways. There are other strategic locations in the city too where these advertisements can be profitably placed, without overlooking road safety," said Asija

Complying with the high court's orders to remove all advertisements along the expressway within 24 hours, the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) dismantled 15 unipoles.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered the removal of advertisements along the e-way in 24 hours.Officials have also disconnected the LED advertisement atop a DLF cybercity building.

There were 13 unipoles displaying advertisements along the highway that had been allotted on tender and two more with special permission near Ambience mall, they have all been removed. The HC has asked the department to submit a compliance report by next Friday.

According to a report submitted in court by a road safety expert, 77 sites in the city have been approved for advertisements.The court on Friday also quashed a report by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) and asked the MCG to follow the instructions in the report submitted by the court-appointed road safety expert Navdeep Asija.

"We have been told to remove advertisements along the expressway and we are implementing the same. All advertisements will be removed by Saturday evening," said Vikas Yadav, MCG commissioner, Gurgaon.

According to officials, the department earns revenue of ` 1.5-2 lakh per month from each unipole. The total revenue from advertisements is approximately ` 1.2 crore per month.

"The MCG officials identified 200 locations for Unipoles and hoardings for the inspection. Out of these, 77 locations were found to be safe. These have been finalised for outdoor advertisement plan after audit and inspection in phase -1," said Asija, road safety and sustainable transport consultant.

The report further states that six unipoles are installed within 500m of IFFCO Chowk flyover and need to be removed. Of the 15 unipoles that have been dismantled, five were displaying advertisements near Iffco Chowk.

"The MCG placed a list of 125 locations including more than 30 on the national highway, which falls on existing black spots. It is requested that MCG may review its document," added the report.

The CRRI report that was sought by the MCG to review the observations of the court appointed expert had approved all 125 locations proposed by the MCG for advertisements.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

GURGAON: The consultant appointed by the Punjab and Haryana high court to study the implementation of the Integrated Mobility Plan for Gurgaon made by Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP), has raised objections concerning several aspects of the plan, such as width of roads, cycle tracks and footpaths, etc.

According to the mobility plan, HUDA, HSIIDC and MCG together were to build 250 km new roads, while also undertaking repair on about 200 km of existing roads, and also building 200 km of footpaths, with cycle tracks where feasible.

Earlier this year, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) chief administrator had written to the Department of Urban Local Bodies, stating that with the exponential growth of the city and its vehicular traffic, the widths of roads sanctioned in the development plan needed to be revised. Following this, instructions were issued to all senior town planners, as well as the district town planner, to upgrade the widths of all sanctioned roads, with the width of major arterial roads raised from 60metres to 75 m, arterial roads kept the same at 60 m, width of sector roads raised from 30 m to 45 m, collector roads from 18 m to 24 m and local roads from nine metres to 12 m.

However, on its own, the high court appointed Navdeep Asija - who shot to fame with Ecocabs, his dial-a-cycle rickshaw concept that won him India's National Award of Excellence in 2011 - as an expert to study the ongoing works, as well as implementation of the Integrated Mobility Plan by various departments. In his report, which he submitted to the court on October 17, he has pointed out various anomalies in the implementation.

According to Asija's report, submitted last month, of the 200 km of footpaths to be built, 93 km was to be in HUDA areas - of which 58 km has already been completed with work in progress on another 27 km - work on the remaining 8 km not having begun yet.

The report claims that neither the length, nor the width of the footpaths being made, is as per prescribed standards.

Similarly, of the 156 km of new roads to be built by HUDA, the report claims that although work on 75 km has been completed, the widths of these new roads do not match the upgraded width specified in the chief administrator's directives.

MCG sources revealed that so far as it is concerned, building plans of neither new roads nor footpaths have been implemented, with MCG so far only having managed to appoint a consultant to build cycle tracks and cycle parking in its areas.

If true, this would be a cause for concern for the administration busy projecting Gurgaon as a global city, and an undermining of citizens' aspirations for a cyclist-friendly city, especially in the wake of Raahgiri Day's phenomenal success.

The court, meanwhile, has directed all three authorities - MCG, HUDA and HSIIDC - to submit a response to Asija's claims in his report.

Without elaborating on their responses, officials in both HUDA and MCG claimed they have submitted affidavits in the high court on the issues raised, but haven't yet received any further directives.

MCG commissioner Vikas Yadav said, "We have submitted our status report and response to Asija's complaints, and are awaiting further directions. If any alteration in implementing the mobility plan is needed, we will definitely consider it.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Long pending demand of residents of Fazilka to give heritage status to Raghuwar Bhawan, Gol Kothi & Bangla (DC residence)of Fazilka got a nod from the Department of Cultural Affairs, Archaeology and Museums, Punjab Government through its notification with the sincere efforts of Manjit Singh Brar, Deputy Commissioner.

With the heritage status to Raghuwar Bhawan, Gol Kothi & Bangla (DC residence) of Fazilka, these buildings would now be looked after by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Archaeology and Museums and its inheritance look will be retained by its proper caretaking.

In Focus

It may be mentioned that local residents have launched a drive to save a 113-year-old building, Raghuvar Bhawan, and seek heritage status for it. Led by social activist Lachhman Dost, the residents daily gather before the dilapidated building. They have also tied an iron chain around the building, flashing a message "Save it from total ruin".

The building was constructed in 1901 by late Seth Munshi Ram Aggarwal, a philanthropist, in the memory of one of his relatives. He raised a garden spread over 16.36 acres of prime land on the Freedom Fighter Road around the building for cultural activities. He later constituted Lala Munshi Ram Aggarwal Public Trust and dedicated the property for promotion of educational activities.

The notifications have been issued on 21, 29 and 30 October, 2014 for Raghuwar Bhawan, Gol Kothi & Bangla (DC residence) Fazilka and under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1964 for the preservation of ancient and historical monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance.

In view of the interest of the local residents and initiative by the district administration by taking personal interest, the Punjab Government has issued the notification for declaring the heritage status to these buildings.

The action of the government for this historical decision has been welcomed by NGOs, religious institutions, youth clubs, educationists and intellectuals. Deputy Commissioner, Manjit Singh Brar also thanked the Punjab Government for this effort.

Expressing his pleasures on the issue of notification by the Punjab Government, Brar, Deputy Commissioner said, "Efforts would be made to get the heritage status also to other more than 100 years old buildings in the district so that coming generations could be put wiser about their heritage history."

Thursday, October 2, 2014

There is tendency to blame the traffic police for road crashes. That instant reaction is based on the fact that the police are the only department that interacts with the common people every day on roads. But, in our system, there are over 20 departments responsible for overall road safety.

We must note that our eight decade-old legal system for road safety is designed to find faults with humans, not with authorities. Besides the driver, the vehicle and surrounding environment are also responsible for road safety. Research shows that responsibility in 54-62% cases is of road infrastructure and environment, 28-34% is of faulty vehicle and design; and 8-12% human error.

Ideally, a safe road is like a mother who informs, warns, controls, guides and even forgives errant behavior. At present, our road infrastructure punishes us.

As for Chandigarh, the administration a few years ago widened spaces for rotaries along with creation of wider slip roads for smooth flow of traffic. This made dedicated fast-lane rotaries. Rotaries/traffic circles are traffic-calming devices used to slow down the traffic. So, this technically wrong move made negotiation of traffic at rotaries miserable. Thankfully, remedial steps were taken by installing speed tables and other traffic-calming measures.

As for human errors, let me cite an example. In 2012, of the 12 female accident death victims in Chandigarh, five were on scooter and died because of not wearing a helmet. Rules say helmet is not mandatory for Sikh women; but it is difficult to identify women on scooter on the basis of religion. How do you tell? I would reserve comment on such political laws related to safety. But it is high time communities too woke up against unscientific laws.

From vehicle safety to road design, planning or in execution, police are not involved in any step. In all three conditions of road crash — pre-crash, in-crash and post-crash — police have minimal role to play. The buck has to stop somewhere but certainly not only with the traffic police. Terming road crashes as 'accidents' is also wrong in a sense. The meaning of 'accident' is 'something unavoidable'. But road crash is not an act of God. Even the World Health Organization in 2004 adopted the slogan, 'Road safety is no accident'.

Kids zipping on roads is expensive vehicle is not a matter of pride. It's a shame. Songs like 'Tere liye hi toh signal tod-tad ke' reflect our society. Parents must not feel proud if their son or daughter starts driving at the age of 14-15 with a fake licence. In the case of a crash, your kid might survive but it is possible another poor mother might lose her child! At one level, rather than blaming cops, we could be thankful to them for maintaining a minimum level of road safety in our country despite limited resources.

Writer is technical adviser to Punjab State Transport Society, and founder of Ecocabs-India. Views expressed are his personal.

Monday, September 22, 2014

FAZILKA: A business model enabling small and marginal farmers to hire implements for farm operations -- brainchild of a Fazilka-based entrepreneur -- was showcased in an event of United Nations in Indonesia recently.

Vikram Ahuja, proprietor of Zamindara Farm Solutions, was invited for the conference of UN's Economic and Social Council for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) at Sarpong in Indonesia on September 11, where he discussed the model that helps small peasants to use hi-tech implements without the need to buy them.

On his return from the UN conference, Vikram said his "debt-free farmer" model was discussed by delegates as the event's main thrust was to make agriculture viable for small and marginal farmers.

"Smaller peasants are the worst hit in Punjab, which is the breadbasket of the country. They are forced to spend huge amount of money on buying implements despite having meagre landholdings, which puts a huge financial burden on them. Most of them are unable to pay off the debt as their earnings are not enough due to smaller land holdings. To help such farmers, we formed a company that provides implements like tractors, harrows, JCBs (excavators), rotovators, seed sowers, harvesters, fodder choppers and many more on nominal rent. We hope this model will be emulated across Punjab," said Ahuja.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

BATHINDA/MUKTSAR: With large tracts of cotton and paddy fields submerged under rain water in several districts, farmers and administration fear that crop damage would be very high this year.

Muktsar and Fazilka districts are the worst affected where huge areas of paddy and cotton fields are submerged. According to agriculture department officials, around 40,000 acres of cotton and 15,000 acres of paddy in Muktsar, over 40,000 acres of cotton and paddy in Fazilka and around 15,000 acres in Mansa were under water on Monday. The state drainage department is trying to pump out water from the fields.

Chances of further rain on Monday evening triggered panic among farmers. Efforts to drain out water have not yielded the desired results till now.

It is feared that over 15% cotton crop could be damaged and more rains could aggravate the situation.

Muktsar deputy commissioner Jaskiranjit Singh said efforts are being made to drain out water from fields and minimize the loss.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Hoping Smart Cities would also transform their residents as smart & responsible citizen, who would love to work more towards their duties than their rights like Right to litter, deface or damage...

To me the definition of Smart city would be in which "a Woman alone can come back to her home safely by using public transport, even after finishing her work during midnight hours ".. This one aspect will cover all aspects of "Good n All Inclusive Cities", like crime free, better transport, gender equality, social inclusion and being environment friendly and sustainable..

Friday, August 29, 2014

20 Years of being GENCONIAN: Probably 20 years back this was the time when a batch of 198 people entered into this royal institution and got the privilege to be the part of royal "Genconian" family. Those four years were as if we all lived one life together. Couple of days back I met Gurwinder (Bagga), a batch mate of mine at ISB Campus, Mohall and my instant reaction was "oye saliya tu ithe kive". My reaction towards him was pretty natural, without realizing this fact that he is Associate Director, Career Advancement Services there. Probably this is a beauty of "being genconian", which helped to keep all of us humble and together. Entire Genconian clan was divided into five broad categories "Pendu Quota", "Day Scholar", "Delhi Wale","Bhappe" and "Group Wale" . Combination of all was popularly known as "JANTA". Amongst them minority status communities were "Day Scholar", "Delhi Wale" and "Bhappe". For girls, we had only one respectable classification system and that was "BHABHI", which somehow showed our commitment and respect towards them at that time. The minority status communities always remained on our targets because of their close association with "Bhabhi" community. "Tea" was our official drink and that too from "Jatt Tea Stall". "Land Line" phone in girl's hostel was the only technical source of romance and communication for us. Unlike today, technology never supported us and that was the reason we had only one" in house love affair" in entire batch of 198. Speaking in English was treated it as a "serious criminal offence", as if we are not in GNE but in France. Cochran boiler is still mystery to all of us and I had been informed by my seniors that top wire on high transmission electric towers is used to facilitate birds to sit…. Difficult to pen down those beautiful feelings. Thank you Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana for making us what we all are today…salute to the spirit of "being genconian".

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Brand Fazilka : "ਦੇਹ ਸਿਵਾ ਬਰੁ ਮੋਹਿ ਇਹੈ ਸੁਭ ਕਰਮਨ ਤੇ ਕਬਹੂੰ ਨ ਟਰੋਂ ॥"Meet my two friends and the most dedicated teachers from our Fazilka regionLavjeet Grewal and Rakeysh Kamboj..their work can be seen in the pictures below..these are the pictures of the two Government Primary Schools, Dona Nanka and New Salemshah respectively....last two villages on India Pakistan Border...and what they have created in their schools is simply outstanding...24 x 7 power backup, RO water..toilets for boys and girls... their government schools are far better in terms of infrastructure and results...e.g. Dona Nanka Primary School kids won 17 awards out of best 20 in the entire state..people in nearby villages have actually stopped going to private schools, from their own pockets they have made beautiful campus and office...(Red is Dona Nanka and Brown back wall is New SalemShah)...they are certainly in the 1% category of those government teachers, who believes in delivery than protesting...i never found them discussing their promotion, transfers and increments unlike many others....then themselves never climbed water tanks but made their students on the top of the world....they have created all from the same set of resources which are meant for everyone.....Hats off to you..

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Attention, drivers: You might want to think twice before flipping the bird at that morning cycling group for slowing down your commute. In fact, you should probably thank them.

A study published in the April issue of Accident Analysis & Prevention suggests that more bikes make roads safer for cyclists and motorists — a finding that could have national implications as more and more Americans hop on two wheels. "Improving the streets to better accommodate bicycles may enhance safety for everyone," said Wesley Marshall, an assistant professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado Denver and co-author of the study.

Marshall and other CU Denver researchers honed in on the city of Boulder, where 12 percent of residents ride bikes, one of the highest rates in the country. Their goal? To create a safety performance function (SPF) for the city's bikes — a mathematical model of the relationship between the frequency of crashes and the major factors related to them — that could inform traffic safety laws and infrastructure. (SPFs exist in a number of cities for vehicles, but not for bikes.)

The researchers focused on the intersections throughout Boulder, where more than two-thirds of crashes occur between drivers and cyclists. They compared collision data from police reports to city data on the number of bikes wheeling through the intersections each day.

Their findings? The chance of collision actually decreased with more cyclists. Specifically, intersections that saw more than 200 bicycles a day had "the largest safety benefits," Marshall said.

The number of people who pedal to work in the U.S. jumped 60 percent over the last decade.

The reasons for the trend aren't entirely clear — yet. Marshall and his colleagues think it could be due to "safety in numbers," the theory — and common Mom refrain — that being part of a large group makes you less likely to be part of a collision or other mishap. A group of bicyclists tends to be easier to spot than lone individuals, alerting drivers who are then more likely to take extra precautions. Indeed, earlier studies proposed that when drivers expect to encounter a large number of cyclists, they're more apt to glance over their shoulder before making a right turn, for example.

Or there's the possibility that cyclists simply gravitate toward safer streets. The team plans to unravel the underlying causes in future studies.

Although the researchers' SPF applies only to Boulder, their method for creating the model "can and should be applied and tested everywhere," especially amid today's biking boom, they wrote. The number of people who pedal to work in the U.S. jumped 60 percent over the last decade, according to the Census Bureau.

The study doesn't prove that more bikes are directly responsible for safer streets, but there does appear to be a link. And there's one strategy for boosting ridership — and hopefully road safety as well: creating protected bike lanes. A recent National Institute for Transportation and Communities study of bike lanes in Portland, San Francisco, Austin, Chicago and Washington, D.C. found that ridership increased an average of 75 percent within a year of installing such lanes. Pedal on.

This article is culled from daily press coverage from around the world. It is posted on the Urban Gateway by way of keeping all users informed about matters of interest. The opinion expressed in this article is that of the author and in no way reflects the opinion of UN-Habitat

Friday, May 30, 2014

GURGAON: The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon to allow the original team of NGOs and citizens' groups associated with Raahgiri Day to organize the weekly event without "insisting on deposit of any advertisement fee/charges or prior approval".

The instruction was issued by a special division bench of justices Surya Kant and Ajay Tewari in open court last week as an aside to an ongoing PIL hearing, after the main petitioner in the case, Navdeep Asija, brought up the matter of Raahgiri Day and the MCG's recent move to take on the role of the event's organizer.

The interim order issued by the high court, a copy of which is with TOI, states: "We direct the Municipal Corporation, Gurgaon, to permit the NGOs, namely, 'Peddal Yatri', 'India Cycle Service', 'EMBARQ India', 'I am Gurgaon' and 'Road Safety Officers', to organize 'Raahgiri' programme in Gurgaon on Sundays without insisting them for the deposit of any advertisement fee/charges or prior approval."

"I drew the court's attention to the show-cause notice issued by the MCG on May 5, 2014, to the Raahgiri Day organizers. The bench said that the MCG has been directed to support Raahgiri Day, and also to provide all the approvals and necessary support required to the organizers," Navdeep Aseeja told TOI.

The MCG's show-cause notice effectively withdrew organizing rights from the core group of Raahgiri Day associates, although it was addressed only to EMBARQ India. The notice stated that "prior permissions" are mandatory to obtain "if any advertisement has to be put up" around the venues, and that it was also deemed necessary for the organizers to deposit an "appropriate government fee with the Municipal Corporation". The notice concluded by instructing the addressee to "not organize this event till further intimation by the district authorities in the matter".

According to Asija's counsel, advocate A P S Shergill, the high court's new directive virtually gives the green light to the original organizers to continue running the event as before on the community-initiative model, which was reportedly lauded by the bench. "The honourable bench said that the NGOs which started this event should be allowed to organize it without any interference from the district authorities," said Shergill.

The MCG commissioner, Praveen Kumar, said on Thursday evening that he was yet to see the official order. "I have not seen the exact order, and won't be able to comment on that. Let me get some clarification on this first," Kumar told TOI. He said that the original team of organizers would be allowed to play a part in putting together Raahgiri Day, as per the directive of the high court. "They will certainly be included in this event. But they will not be the sole runners of the show, as was the case in the past. Their inclusion doesn't have to come at the cost of the exclusion of the government agencies," Kumar said.

Friday, May 23, 2014

GURGAON: The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed government agencies in Haryana to work out a comprehensive mobility plan for cities, a shot in the arm for Gurgaon's Raahgiri Day movement that has pioneered the campaign for non-motorized transport in India.

In its order, a special bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ajay Tewari emphasized the urban mobility plan must be workable and must effectively "address the problems of newly-developed urban areas as well as the old townships and cities".

The bench agreed with P Raghvendra Rao, principal secretary, urban local bodies, Haryana, that there was urgent need for such a plan and directed the authorities concerned to hold a meeting under the chairmanship of the chief secretary in the coming weeks. The meeting, according to the order, is to be "attended by all principal secretaries and heads of departments", and is to be held "before the next date of hearing", which is in February next year.

This will be of particular significance to a city like Gurgaon, where an integrated mobility plan already exists, although the prescriptions made in this document are yet to be implemented. Analysts say a legal push is more likely to make Gurgaon's decision-makers act and take the necessary steps towards upgrading the non-motorized infrastructure here. "This was a special bench of the high court, with justices Surya Kant and Ajay Tewari, which deals with issues related to non-motorized transport. The bench directed both the states of Haryana and Punjab to form a committee under the chief secretaries and formulate a comprehensive mobility plan. The authorities were basically told to come out with a policy for the handling of non-motorized transport. This will have a special bearing on places like Gurgaon, where a plan already exists," said Navdeep Asija, an expert in sustainable transport who was present at the court on the day of hearing.

According to HUDA administrator Praveen Kumar, a part of the existing mobility plan - which is titled the 'Integrated Mobility Plan for Gurgaon-Manesar Urban Complex' - has already reached the implementation stage. "And the rest of it has been taken into the agenda. The implementation work is definitely going to happen. I haven't seen the latest order. But we've already had a detailed meeting under the chairmanship of the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) head Bhure Lal about the integrated mobility plan for Gurgaon, and we have figured out the steps that we now have to take," Kumar told TOI.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Muskan Verma of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Fazilka, has topped the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) exams for Class 12 in non-medical stream with 99.56 percent marks. She scored 448 out of 450 marks.

Daisy Garg of Sprigdale's Public Senior Secondary School, Sangrur, bagged the second position in the state with 98.22 percent marks, while Charu of GTB Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Malout, secured the third position with 98 percent.

The overall pass percentage of the board is 84.42 percent as compared to 78.97 in 2013.

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Ignored orders of not allowing hoardings by side of roads in Panchkula

The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday summoned Haryana roadways general manager Rohtash Kumar for violation of court orders of not allowing hoardings by the side of roads in Panchkula.

The court also summoned a vernacular reporter for explanation on the next date, May 30, about the allegations of road safety exper t Navdeep Asija that the reporter was trying to manage him and had also published misleading a news report on April 19.

Asija on Friday submitted in the court headed by justice Rajive Bhalla that the newspaper report described that the measurement of roundabouts in Panchkula by him (Asija) were wrong. Asija was earlier directed by the high court to carry out a study on advertising sites in around 18 cities and submit his report.

Asija submitted that the wrong facts were produced in news in order to derail the ongoing process for some specific and vested interests.

He informed the court that there was an apparent connivance between Ashok, proprietor of advertising company Taksh Media, and the reporter.

He also added that the reporter used to call him time and again to get the final copy of the report about the survey of advertising sites.

Asija further alleged that the reporter was earlier working with an English newspaper (not Hindustan Times) and it was due to the constant unethical practices that he was expelled from the newspaper. He prayed for taking action against the reporter and the newspaper for publishing an unverified article.

The petitioner Bhupinder Singh had highlighted the issue by placing on record photographs of various neon boards and hoardings facing the highways and main roads put up by the authorities in Gurgaon in blatant violation of the Supreme Court as well as the high court directions, which were one of the causes for distraction of drivers and road accidents.

A number of advertising companies had later moved the court that if their advertisements put after tendering process were to be removed then they should be allotted alternate site.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Saturday, April 5, 2014

The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the Punjab as well as Haryana governments to inform the court about their comprehensive mobility plans for various municipal corporations and the funds allocated for various projects.

The special division bench comprising justices Surya Kant and Ajay Tewari made it clear that if the states fail to comply court orders their chief secretaries, finance secretaries and secretaries of urban development would have to remain present on the next date of hearing. The court was hearing a case pertaining to the introduction of eco-friendly cycle rickshaws and consideration of vehicle-free zones in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.

Annoyed with repeated affidavits filed by both the state governments in the court without going into the details of the matter, the court said, “The impression given is as if you are obliging the high court. Whom are you be-fooling?”

In case of Punjab, the court observed that the state government had forwarded comprehensive mobility plans for four municipal corporations, including Amritsar and Jalandhar, to the Centre for seeking 80% financial assistance. But the court said that state government’s reply was not satisfactory.

It was directed that the Punjab government should come out with minute details of funds allocated for these corporations and how such budget should be spent in the financial year 2014-15 on various plans. The court also passed the same orders in case of Haryana.

Appearing in the case, road safety expert Navdeep Asija gave an example of the Sirsa city where due to initiative taken by the deputy commissioner, 90 eco-cabs or lightweight rickshaws had been introduced to ease out traffic to some extent.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

The Election Commission today transferred three Deputy Commissioners, one Commissioner of Police and four Senior Superintendents of Police in Punjab. The DCs of Sangrur, Fazilka and Patiala districts have been replaced, an EC official here said, without producing any reason for the reshuffle.

The EC also ordered transfer of Ludhiana's Commissioner of Police, he said adding the SSPs of Ferozepur, Moga, Fazilka, and Mansa districts too had been replaced.

As per an order of the EC, Kavita Singh, IAS, has beenm posted as new Deputy Commissioner, Sangrur, Karuna Raju, IAS as Deputy Commissioner, Fazilka, and Priyank Bharti, IAS as Deputy Commissioner, Patiala.

Sanjeev Kalra, IPS has been posted as new Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, he said. Rahul S, IPS, has been posted as new SSP Ferozepur while S Bhupati, IPS, as SSP Moga, Jagdale Nilambari Vijay, IPS, as SSP Fazilka, and Bikram Pal Singh Bhatti as SSP Mansa.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

FEROZEPUR: Taking serious note of reports of charging of higher tax from commuters at the two toll plazas on Ferozepur-Fazilka highway, the Punjab and Haryana high court has issued notices to principal secretary (PWD), director, Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) and Chetak Enterprises Private Limited. The case will come up for hearing on April 1, 2014.

Parmod Chaudhary and his brother Vikas Chaudhary of Jalalabad had filed a petition in the HC seeking directions against charging of double the actual toll amount and to the concessionaire to abide by the agreement for development and maintenance of the 84.425km Ferozepur-Fazilka road.

The petitioners also claimed that the Punjab, PIDB and Chetak Enterprises entered into Ferozepur-Fazilka road concession agreement in March 2006. "At the time of signing the agreement, it was mutually decided that the operator company, Chetak Enterprises, would charge a prescribed amount of 0.35 paise per km for entire 84.425km stretch. It was also consented that the operator may add an increase 10% in the prescribed amount annually till 2011. But on the contrary, commuters are fleeced by being charged Rs 92 as one-way toll fee, which is almost double the amount prescribed in the agreement," they alleged.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

GURGAON: Navdeep Asija is an expert on road safety and sustainable transport who currently works as the technical adviser for the Punjab government's transport department. Having made his way from Chandigarh to Gurgaon last Sunday, Asija was among the many Raahgiri Day participants. He spoke to TOI about the impact this event has had on the general mindset, and about how sustainable development may soon become a talking point for politicians.

How important is it to have dedicated stretches for non-motorized transport on urban roads today?

Actually, this comes under the fundamental rights. There is a court judgment from the '80s which talks about 'right to healthy living.' The latest National Transport Policy also talks about this in pressing terms. Right to walk, to cycle, and to breathe clean air is a constitutional right. It was only recently, in the year 2010, that the Punjab and Haryana high court issued a directive to both these neighbouring states, asking them to have at least one car-free street in each of their cities. So authorities in Gurgaon, sooner or later, are bound to pay heed to these directives, even if they seem a little reluctant as of now to fully embrace the new sustainability agenda.

What, according to you, explains this reluctance on the part of the local civic agencies?

I found that they are very pro-motorized transport in some way, which is very sad. Since our policy makers travel in cars, all they basically want to do is facilitate the movement of cars on the roads. And this is why we still keep getting those grand 16-lane highways in big cities.

You recently attended an edition of Raahgiri Day in Gurgaon. Do you think this event has played a positive part in changing the mindsets and creating a demand for non-motorized infrastructure?

Raahgiri Day has indeed proved that such events and experiments are excellent in order to generate public opinion in favour of sustainable development. It has acted as an important advocacy tool. In my opinion, we should have a Raahgiri Day in every city, because this can be of direct help to the civic agencies also. By showing that there is a demand for NMT infrastructure, it simplifies the task of the authorities.

So what should be the next step for Raahgiri campaign?

People of this city have given their mandate. Now it is the duty of the civic officials to live up to the expectations by delivering what is being demanded - an upgrade of the NMT infrastructure here. I am also hopeful that in this election year, sustainable development will become part of the political agenda. In fact, all political parties should include this in their manifestos. Flyovers cost hundreds of crores. A little attention to sustainable living costs close to nothing.

Friday, February 28, 2014

FAZILKA: Opening of Indo-Pak border at Fazilka to boost trade and maintaining brotherhood ties with central Asian countries would be priority of NDA if it came to power at the Centre after Lok Sabha polls, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said today.

"Opening of Fazilka border would change the economic and social scenario of both nations and NDA would be firm on opening this immediately after coming to power," said Badal after laying the foundation stone of a sewerage project here.

Badal is the president of Shiromani Akali Dal, part of NDA.

Accusing Congress-led UPA government of having "ill-managed strategies", he said, "the misrule of UPA had put the country far behind economically and financially, besides inflicting unprecedented inflation upon common masses just to extend benefits to MNCs."

"Modi will be the next Prime Minister of the country and extinction of Congress is inevitable," he said, adding that Punjab would also register progress by leaps and bounds if NDA came to power.

He claimed the SAD-BJP alliance would register massive victories on all 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

We are delighted to share our Joy with all of you that our rickshaw movement has reached to Hydrabad now . Lok Satta Party of Andhra Pradesh has chosen our Rickshaw for their Election Campaign. Thank you Kanthimathi Kannan for taking our ‪#‎Ecocabs‬ to Hydrabad . Kanthimathi Kannan is contesting in the upcoming state legislative elections from Nampally, Hyderabad.

Beautiful Fazilka

Fazilite Network..

About Fazilka...

160 year old historical town Fazilka of District Ferozepur, also known as Bangla, is located in southwestern Punjab (INDIA), about 325 kms west of Punjab State Capital Chandigarh, 85 km south-west of the district headquarters, Ferozepur and 200 km south of Amritsar. Fazilka is on India -Pakistan border and is 11 km off the international border with Pakistan. It is situated on the rice growing and cotton rich belt of the state and is one of the major rice exporting centers in India. Before partition, the town was the biggest wool market in undivided Punjab.

Fazilka’s origin dates back to AD 1844. It was established by Mr. Oliver and was christened after the original owner of the land, Mian Fazil Watoo. The first railway line through the town was setup in AD 1898 on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the accession of Queen Victoria. Being at the border, Fazilka also had to bear the brunt of the two Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971.

The famous ‘Tosha’ sweets have its origin in Fazilka. The first single cylinder steam ship in the world, Fazilka, was named after this town. Fazilka is also home to the second biggest TV tower in Asia, which stands at 305 m above the ground.
Amritsar International Airport and Ludhiana Domestic Airport serves Fazilka. Fazilka Railway Station is located on Abhor- Ferozepur Region of Northern Railways. National Highway 10 passes through Fazilka.

Geography & Demography of the City:

As of 2001 India census,Fazilka had a population of 67,424. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Fazilka has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 62%. In Fazilka, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age